... AS CHRONICLED BY, AND WITH THE PERSONAL MEMOIRS + OCCASSIONAL PHILOSOPHIZING OF THE AUTHOR, ONE STEPHEN J. McKEE" This CENTAUR SEASONS post was written 40 years ago. PREVIOUS GAME: Centaurs 56, Wilmington College 71, three days ago NEXT GAME: at Philadelphia Pharmacy, six days CENTAUR SEASON: 2-5 We lost to Wilmington, 71-56. The score doesn’t tell the whole story. They picked up a lot of their points in the last 45 seconds – eight, to be exact. We were down five at halftime, … [Read more...]
CENTAUR SEASONS: ‘WE CAN TURN IT AROUND!’ — entry #13 from “A history of the events of the Allentown College’s 1972-1973 B-ball season …
... AS CHRONICLED BY, AND WITH THE PERSONAL MEMOIRS + OCCASSIONAL PHILOSOPHIZING OF THE AUTHOR, ONE STEPHEN J. McKEE" This CENTAUR SEASONS post was written on January 18, 1973. PREVIOUS GAME: Centaurs 82, Baptist Bible 84, two days ago NEXT GAME: Wilmington College, tonight CENTAUR SEASON: 2-4 Lots happened during the break. But only the most notable do I have time to mention now. Before Christmas I officially lost my starting position. John Cooper, Dennis Ramella, Bobby … [Read more...]
CENTAUR SEASONS: Sleeping in the Gym, or, “The process of building a basketball program”
Christmas break ends tomorrow. The 1972-1973 Centaurs will be back on the court, playing Baptist Bible in Clark Summit, Pennsylvania, near Scranton. And with that “A history of the events of the Allentown College’s 1972-1973 B-ball season, as chronicled by, and with the personal memoirs + occasional philosophizing of the author, one Stephen J. McKee” recommences. The season thus far: Senior co-captain Chris Cashman destroyed his ankle the first day of preseason. Senior co-captain Dennis … [Read more...]
CENTAUR SEASONS: Player Profile — “Basketball Had Been My Art Form”
By the time I was a junior, this CENTAUR SEASONS diary year, it was plainly evident what kind of high school players Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales needed to attract if the Centaurs were to get to the next level. Type No. 1 was Dave Glielmi (pronounced GELL-me; announcers at away games always mangled it). Dave was easily Allentown’s best player those first six, seven years of the basketball program: A kid from the Philadelphia Catholic League – 6-2, a solid 190 – a player on a … [Read more...]
Trust the Power Within
Yes, this is a Duracell battery commercial. And it contains a great message from NFL all-pro, Patrick Willis. "Trust that you can get back up and not give in. Ever." … [Read more...]
CENTAUR SEASONS: MidSeason Report # 3 — Revisiting the ‘Secrets of the Centaur’
With the "HISTORY OF THE EVENTS OF THE ALLENTOWN COLLEGE'S 1972-1973 B-BALL SEASON, AS CHRONICLED BY, AND WITH THE PERSONAL MEMOIRS AND OCCASSIONAL PHILOSOPHIZING OF THE AUTHOR, ONE STEPHEN J. McKEE" still on Christmas break (next game January 18) this seems an opportune moment to look back on where CENTAUR SEASONS has been, and where it might be going, with a couple of MidSeason Reports. MidSeason Report No. 1: A list of all CENTAUR SEASONS posts, from Day One MidSeason Report No. 2: The … [Read more...]
CENTAUR SEASONS: Predicting Tonight’s BCS Championship Game, Or: The Year the Centaurs Played the Fighting Irish (yes, in football)
A CENTAUR SEASONS prognostication for tonight’s BCS championship game. No. 1 Notre Dame will beat No. 2 Alabama, 24-23, on a last-second field goal. Yes, precisely. Fans of the favored Crimson Tide will be left in desperate disbelief. If this scenario sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Says here that tonight’s clash figures to play out much like a game once did forty-plus years ago, when the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame beat … the Centaurs of Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales in a … [Read more...]
CENTAUR SEASONS: MidSeason Report #2 — A.C./U.C.L.A. Connections and the Interview with Coach John Wooden
With the "HISTORY OF THE EVENTS OF THE ALLENTOWN COLLEGE'S 1972-1973 B-BALL SEASON, AS CHRONICLED BY, AND WITH THE PERSONAL MEMOIRS AND OCCASSIONAL PHILOSOPHIZING OF THE AUTHOR, ONE STEPHEN J. McKEE" still on Christmas break (next game January 18) this seems an opportune moment to look back on where CENTAUR SEASONS has been, and where it might be going, with a couple of MidSeason Reports. MidSeason Report No. 1. This second MidSeason Report takes a long look at the college basketball era … [Read more...]
CENTAUR SEASONS: MidSeason Report #1
HAPPY NEW YEAR! With the "HISTORY OF THE EVENTS OF THE ALLENTOWN COLLEGE'S 1972-1973 B-BALL SEASON, AS CHRONICLED BY, AND WITH THE PERSONAL MEMOIRS AND OCCASSIONAL PHILOSOPHIZING OF THE AUTHOR, ONE STEPHEN J. McKEE" still on Christmas break (next game January 18) this seems an opportune moment to look back on where CENTAUR SEASONS has been, and where it's going, with a couple of MidSeason Reports. This first report is a list of and links to all the CENTAUR SEASONS posts leading up to the … [Read more...]
CENTAUR SEASONS: Earning Those “Varsity Letters”
Recently, CENTAUR SEASONS went live and loud at the Varsity Letters Sports Reading Series in New York City. I read excerpts from a couple of CENTAUR SEASONS posts, answered a few questions, spread the Centaur gospel -- and talked about CENTAUR SEASONS’ exclusive interview with UCLA coaching legend John Wooden. With Michael Gluckstadt doing the honors as host, I shared the stage with Bryan Curtis of the sports web site Grantland and John Saward and Graydon Gordian of the online magazine The … [Read more...]